the scroll marked i

The Scroll Marked I

Today I begin a new life.

Today I shed my old skin which hath, too long, suffered the bruises of failure and the

wounds of mediocrity.

Today I am born anew and my birthplace is a vineyard where there is fruit for all.

Today I will pluck grapes of wisdom from the tallest and fullest vines in the vineyard, for

these were planted by the wisest of my profession who have come before me, generation

upon generation.

Today I will savor the taste of grapes from these vines and verily I will swallow the seed of

success buried in each and new life will sprout within me.

The career I have chosen is laden with opportunity, yet it is fraught with heartbreak and

despair and the bodies of those who have failed, were they piled one atop another, would

cast its shadow down upon all the pyramids of the earth.

Yet I will not fail, as the others, for in my hands I now hold the charts which will guide me

through perilous waters to shores which only yesterday seemed but a dream.

Failure no longer will be my payment for struggle. Just as nature made no provision for my

body to tolerate pain neither has it made any provision for my life to suffer failure. Failure,

like pain, is alien to my life. In the past I accepted it as I accepted pain. Now I reject it and I

am prepared for wisdom and principles which will guide me out of the shadows into the

sunlight of wealth, position, and happiness far beyond my most extravagant dreams until

even the golden apples in the Garden of Hesperides will seem no more than my just reward.

Time teaches all things to he who lives forever but I have not the luxury of eternity. Yet,

within my allotted time I must practice the art of patience for nature acts never in haste. To

create the olive, king of all trees, a hundred years is required. An onion plant is old in nine

weeks. I have lived as an onion plant. It has not pleased me. Now I wouldst become the

greatest of olive trees and, in truth, the greatest of salesmen.

And how will this be accomplished? For I have neither the knowledge nor the experience to

achieve greatness and already I have stumbled in ignorance and fallen into pools of self-pity.

The answer is simple. I will commence my journey unencumbered with either the weight of

unnecessary knowledge or the handicap of meaningless experience. Nature already has

supplied me with knowledge and instinct far greater than any beast in the forest and the

value of experience is overrated, usually by old men who nod wisely and speak stupidly.

In truth, experience teaches thoroughly yet her course of instruction devours men's years so

the value of her lessons diminishes with the time necessary to acquire her special wisdom.

The end finds it wasted on dead men. Furthermore, experience is comparable to fashion; an

action that proved successful today will be unworkable and impractical tomorrow.

Only principles endure and these I now possess, for the laws that will lead me to greatness

are contained in the words of these scrolls. What they will teach me is more to prevent

failure than to gain success, for what is success other than a state of mind? Which two,

among a thousand wise men, will define success in the same words; yet failure is always

described but one way. Failure is man's inability to reach his goals in life, whatever they

may be.

In truth, the only difference between those who have failed and those who have succeeded

lies in the difference of their habits. Good habits are the key to all success. Bad habits are the

unlocked door to failure. Thus, the first law I will obey, which preceedeth all others is - I

will form good habits and become their slaves.

As a child I was slave to my impulses; now I am slave to my habits, as are all grown men. I

have surrendered my free will to the years of accumulated habits and the past deeds of my

life have already marked out a path which threatens to imprison my future. My actions are

ruled by appetite, passion, prejudice, greed, love, fear, environment, habit, and the worst of

these tyrants is habit. Therefore, if I must be a slave to habit let me be a slave to good habits.

My bad habits must be destroyed and new furrows prepared for good seed.

I will form good habits and become their slave.

And how will I accomplish this difficult feat? Through these scrolls, it will be done, for each

scroll contains a principle which will drive a bad habit from my life and replace it with one

which will bring me closer to success. For it is another of nature's laws that only a habit can

subdue another habit. So, in order for these written words to perform their chosen task, I

must discipline myself with the first of my new habits which is as follows:

I will read each scroll for thirty days in this prescribed manner, before I proceed to the

next scroll.

First, I will read the words in silence when I arise. Then, I will read the words in silence

after I have partaken of my midday meal. Last, I will read the words again just before I retire

at day's end, and most important, on this occasion I will read the words aloud.

On the next day I will repeat this procedure, and I will continue in like manner for thirty

days. Then, I will turn to the next scroll and repeat this procedure for another thirty days. I

will continue in this manner until I have lived with each scroll for thirty days and my reading

has become habit.

And what will be accomplished with this habit? Herein lies the hidden secret of all man's

accomplishments. As I repeat the words daily they will soon become a part of my active

mind, but more important, they will also seep into my other mind, that mysterious source

which never sleeps, which creates my dreams; and often makes me act in ways I do not

comprehend.

As the words of these scrolls are consumed by my mysterious mind I will begin to awake,

each morning, with a vitality I have never known before. My vigor will increase, my

enthusiasm will rise, my desire to meet the world will overcome every fear I once knew at

sunrise, and I will be happier than I ever believed it possible to be in this world of strife and

sorrow.

Eventually I will find myself reacting to all situations which confront me as I was

commanded in the scrolls to react, and soon these actions and reactions will become easy to

perform, for any act with practice becomes easy.

Thus a new and good habit is born, for when an act becomes easy through constant

repetition it becomes a pleasure to perform and if it is a pleasure to perform it is man's nature

to perform it often. When I perform it often it becomes a habit and I become its slave and

since it is a good habit this is my will.

Today I begin a new life.

And I make a solemn oath to myself that nothing will retard my new life's growth. I will lose

not a day from these readings for that day cannot be retrieved nor can I substitute another for

it. I must not, I will not, break this habit of daily reading from these scrolls and, in truth, the

few moments spent each day on this new habit are but a small price to pay for the happiness

and success that will be mine.

As I read and re-read the words in the scrolls to follow, never will I allow the brevity of each

scroll nor the simplicity of its words to cause me to treat the scroll's message lightly.

Thousands of grapes are pressed to fill one jar with wine, and the grapeskin and pulp are

tossed to the birds. So it is with these grapes of wisdom from the ages. Much has been

filtered and tossed to the wind. Only the pure truth lies distilled in the words to come. I will

drink as instructed and spill not a drop. And the seed of success I will swallow.

Today my old skin has become as dust. I will walk tall among men and they will know me

not, for today I am a new man, with a new life.

The Scroll Marked II

I will greet this day with love in my heart.

For this is the greatest secret of success in all ventures. Muscle can split a shield and even destroy life but only the unseen power of love can open the hearts of men and until I master this art I will remain no more than a peddler in the market place. I will make love my greatest weapon and none on whom I call can defend against its force.

My reasoning they may counter; my speech they may distrust; my apparel they may disapprove; my face they may reject and even my bargains may cause them suspicion; yet my love will melt all hearts liken to the sun whose rays soften the coldest clay.


And how will I do this? Henceforth will I look on all things with love and I will be born again. I will love the sun for it warms my bones; yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit. I will love the light for it shows me the way; yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars. I will welcome happiness for it enlarges my heart; yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul. I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due; yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge.


And how will I speak? I will laud mine enemies and they will become friends; I will encourage my friends and they will become brothers. Always will I dig for reasons to plaud; never will I scratch for excuses to gossip. When I am tempted to criticize I will bite on my tongue; when I am moved to praise I will shout from the roofs.

Is it not so that birds, the wind, the sea and all nature speaks with the music of praise for their creator? Cannot I speak with the same music to his children? Henceforth will I remember this secret and it will change my life.


And how will I act? I will love all manners of men for each has qualities to be admired even though they be hidden. With love I will tear down the wall of suspicion and hate which they have built around their hearts and in its place will I build bridges so that my love may enter their souls.

I will love the ambitions for they can inspire me; I will love the failures for they can teach me. I will love the kings for they are but human; I will love the meek for they are divine. I will love the rich for they are yet lonely; I will love the poor for they are so many. I will love the young for the faith they hold; I will love the old for the wisdom they share. I will love the beautiful for their eyes of sadness; I will love the ugly for their souls of peace.


But how will I react to the actions of others? With love. For just as love is my weapon to open the hearts of men, love is also my shield to repulse the arrows of hate and the spears of anger. Adversity and discouragement will beat against my new shield and become as the softest of rains. My shield will protect me in the market place and sustain me when I am alone. It will uplift me in moments of despair yet it will calm me in time of exultation. It will become stronger and more protective with use until one day I will cast it aside and walk unencumbered among all manners of men and, when I do, my name will be raised high on the pyramid of life.


And how will I confront each whom I meet? In only one way. In silence and to myself I will address him and say I Love You. Though spoken in silence these words will shine in my eyes, unwrinkle my brow, bring a smile to my lips and echo in my voice; and his heart will be opened. And who is there who will say nay to my goods when his heart feels my love?


And most of all I will love myself. For when I do I will zealously inspect all things which enter my body, my mind, my soul and my heart. Never will I overindulge the requests of my flesh, rather I will cherish my body with cleanliness and moderation. Never will I allow my mind to be attracted to evil and despair, rather I will uplift it with the knowledge and wisdom of the ages. Never will I allow my soul to become complacent and satisfied, rather I will feed it with meditation and prayer. Never will I allow my heart to become small and bitter, rather I will share it and it will grow and warm the earth.


Henceforth will I love all mankind. From this moment all hate is let from my veins for I have not time to hate, only time to love. From this moment I take the first step required to become a man among men. With love I will increase my sales a hundred fold and become a great salesman. If I have no other qualities I can succeed with love alone. Without it I will fail though I possess all the knowledge and skills of the world.

the scroll marked i

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